Blood on the Water
by Rampant Repose
Summary: Nami expects little from others but helps whenever she can. Vladimir lives a violent, impulsive life with little direction and no real purpose. Whether it's fate or bad luck that keeps bringing them together who can say.
1. Search and rescue

Red lights flickered against the cloudless night sky, barely visible from below the silvery surface of the ocean as heaving waves rolled slowly towards the far off shore. Nami saw ships often and usually avoided them; sailors were rarely interested in anything other than the fact that she was vaguely humanoid and vaguely feminine. She would have avoided this one too had it not been for the debris around it, dark stretches of planks and bobbing crates dotting the breach between water and air. From below it was ominous.

She'd popped her head above the water just long enough to see fire. Flames stood out against black smoke and the even blacker outline of the ship it was consuming. Bodies floated, some clinging to barrels and rubbish for support, and the screams were audible even from a distance. She had to wonder what had happened if nothing else, there were no other ships she could see nor were they far out enough for dangerous sea creatures.

She let out a sigh and ducked back below the water. She could, and she should, help. It was the right thing to do and while she doubted the sailors had any useful information she might be able to get them to help her in some small way. At this point she would use anyone she could to help find the moonstone and helping people was always a good way to get them to talk.

It was far from silent below the waves but instead of being met by calls for help and the sound of water lapping against wood the space around the marai was filled with clicks and howls from sea creatures near and far. They echoed around her and she could almost block out the tragedy that loomed above. Almost.

Scanning the dark waters below the ship she watched heavier barrels and pieces of metal slowly descending, pale trails of bubbles streaming off of them and then vanishing. Through the chaos she saw bodies, many mangled and clearly dead already, not worth dragging to the surface. Better off feeding the fish than being wasted on a funeral.

Ribbons of blackred twisted through the water, a cloud of murk and gore surrounding the figure of someone who was still flailing their arms uselessly. She gripped her staff tightly and flicked her tail, moving swiftly through the water and kicking up a trail of shimmering white bubbles.

He didn't look like the other ones, scruffy sailors in dirty clothing. White hair billowed out around his head, tinted pink with blood, as he slowly turned about in the water. Heavy clothing weighed him down and flared out like the wings of a mantaray, slow and thick. A stream of blood seeped from a wound torn in his abdomen and clouded the water around him as crimson tendrils swirled lazily into the salt water.

Nami needed to stop him from drowning before she even thought about the gaping wound, a small enough task for her.

"Stay still," she said as she glided closer and reached out a hand, her words echoing through the water.

The man recoiled, his white eyes devoid of irises widening as she tried to touch him. She frowned and grabbed at his shirt, easily catching a handful of the thick material, and pulled him closer. His face was as pale as his hair though it seemed to suit him Nami thought.

"Stop floundering or you'll hurt yourself," she stated, closing the distance between them with no effort and coming to a stop only inches in front of him.

It was just a second, infinitely short and meaningless to her, as she pressed her lips against his. He stiffened immediately and pulled away as he tried to say something. The last bit of air escaped his lungs in a veil of bubbles and he closed it again as he pressed his lips together in a thin, displeased line. The magic was already there though and he wasn't in any danger of drowning for the time being. Still, the water couldn't be pleasant for him. It was cold for a human and he was bleeding a lot.

Nami tugged on his shirt and began to pull him towards the surface with him floating helplessly behind her, maneuvering around the bulk of the ship as she looked for something to set him on. A large piece of wood presented itself and she broke the surface, once again engulfed in the pandemonium of what was occurring. The man, sopping wet and weak, was shoved gracelessly onto the plank and Nami let go to run a hand down his body and assess the damage. The wound looked like it was from a gun, a vague circle blown through his clothing and into his body. It wasn't too deep, probably fired from a good distance, but it was big and it was bleeding.

He muttered something between breathes as he gasped for air and tried to move around mostly in vain on the slippery surface, the tidecaller adamantly keeping him in place. She wouldn't need her staff for something like this and set it down nearby.

She placed her hands over the frayed, red flesh and focused. Slowly, imperfectly, it closed for her as a pale blue glow radiated from the tips of her fingers and ethereal wisps of light flickered in the air. Like tiny stars the magic blinked in and out of existence as she concentrated on healing the injured man's wounds.

Her thoughts were derailed and the magic abruptly blinked out as he grabbed one of her wrists with a cold hand, a scowl across his face.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded as he tried to move, a hint of pain showing on his face for only a second before he resumed glaring at Nami.

She raised an eyebrow ridge and pulled her wrist free from his still water-slicked hand to cross her arms over her chest. His blood drained face seemed almost transparent and a mess of white hair clung to his cheeks and neck to frame his angular face in a way that would have been almost cute if he weren't probably half dead and also a human. His eyes though… Nami wasn't sure what he was looking at and it made her uncomfortable.

"I _was_ helping you," she answered, "Unless you like bleeding to death in the ocean."

She waited for an answer and eyed him warily but when none came and he turned his head to look away she took it as a sign that no, he might not like the idea of dying out here. When she moved her hands closer again to finish the job, however, he recoiled just a bit but refused to look at her again.

"What a waste."

She almost missed what he muttered. She stopped, fingers an inch above his wound, as she blinked in confusion. She slowly lowered her hands to the cold, waterlogged plank and curled her fingers under her palms. She was about to open her mouth to say something when he spoke up again.

"Are you going to help them?" he asked, nodding his head towards the ship.

"That was the plan. I can't just leave them out here."

The fire had died down, extinguished by the crew that still remained on the ship though the efforts were in vain as it began to capsize. Already lifeboats were setting out towards land, picking up who they could along the way. She could still see more people struggling further out as they were pushed and pulled by waves; there was still a lot of work to be done.

She reached for her staff and began to turn away as she told the man, "Be sure to get on one of the boats. I need to see if anyone else needs rescuing."

A displeased noise. An annoyed noise, even. Not a sound someone who had just been rescued would make. It caused Nami to turn back to see the man's profile illuminated orange and red with the last few remaining flames, water still running down his face and dripping from the ends of his hair. His mouth was pressed in a thin line and he was looking towards the Noxian shores that barely visible in the distance.

Nami clicked her tongue in annoyance and hoisted herself partially out of the water onto the planks, her free hand reaching out to touch the man's cheek and turn his head towards her. He didn't resist but he did narrow his eyes. This close Nami could see that even his eyelashes were pure white and wouldn't have stood out against his pale skin at all had they not been so long. His colorless eyes hid whatever he was thinking and made him almost impossible for the marai to read no matter how hard she tried.

He seemed like an exhausting person but he was a person nonetheless and she couldn't just let him sit here and slowly freeze to death. One more kiss, this one lasting longer as she pressed her lips against his warm mouth. The magic was focussed and for just a moment visible as a cool glow surrounded him and tiny orbs flickered. They faded into the ether as Nami pulled away though she hesitated for just a moment as she looked his face over one more time.

It was faint but she could make out a blush across his cheeks. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she pushed herself off the planks and into the water.

"That should keep you alive if you really wanna swim all the way back," she called before diving under the waves, heading towards a stranded sailor trying to reach a nearby lifeboat.


	2. Rising tides

Noxus was vast and the residents had immediately made it clear that Nami wasn't welcome. Regardless, though, the sailors had told her she might be able to find something useful here in one of the libraries. Just getting into them was a pain enough but most of the books available were about how great Noxus was and how they'd defeated their many enemies in the past. Still she wouldn't give up hope so easily, there had to be _something_ here that could help her find the moonstone.

The second floor of the library was darker than the first, though that meant little to a marai who had grown up in the dim light of the ocean. The dust coating every surface, however, was at least mildly irritating. It clung to her damp skin and left dark streaks when she tried to wipe it away. The isles were less organized and boxes overflowing with books sat in corners and on tables. Just looking around Nami wasn't even sure where to start.

After an hour of careful browsing she had accumulated a small stack of books on a relatively clean table, a few more and she could sit down and start reading. There were a few back shelves she hadn't looked at yet that were labeled as "historical fiction" and while she wasn't really sure what that entailed she figured she could check. Floating down the dark isles she almost missed the man lying on the floor with an open book over his face. Almost.

She stopped and glanced down at him before reaching down and gently shaking one of his shoulders.

"Excuse me," she said, trying to wake him, "Could you move?"

After a moment the man stretched out his arms and slowly sat up, sending the book tumbling to the floor. Nami flinched back slightly in surprise as soon as she recognized him. The white haired man from the shipwreck, the one who was less than enthusiastic about her trying to help. She was glad he was still alive but running into him… She was less than glad about that. He hadn't exactly made a good first impression.

"You," he stated, rubbing at his face and brushing his hair back. One of his pale cheeks was red from where the book had been pressed against it and Nami could just make out the shadow of dark circles below his still unnerving eyes.

Nami waited for him to finish whatever he was going to say but after a few long seconds of silence it seemed that was all he had. She sighed and opted to just float above him while looking at books. She pulled a book off the top shelf and said, "You could at least thank me."

"What for?" he answered after a moment, " _You're_ the one who interrupted my nap."

"And you're the one who was flopping around like shark bait," she said simply, putting the book back and reaching for another one, "How was your swim back to shore?"

"Cold," he yawned as he stood up and stretched before crossing his arms and leaning against the bookshelf. The old wooden shelves creaked dully at his weight and a thin cloud of dust shook loose to drift slowly through the air.

"I told you to take a boat."

An annoyed click of his tongue followed by what might have been an eye roll, then silence while Nami sorted through more books before finding one that seemed relevant. She threw one more glance his way before returning to her table and opening one of the thicker tomes to the first page. A moment later footsteps fell on old, creaking boards and Nami closed the book with an audible _thump_ as she turned around to stare at the human.

"Can I help you?" she asked sharply.

He opened his mouth to answer but closed it as he turned to watch the stairs, the tap of heels coming up them loud and crisp in the relative silence of the library. A woman in a dark dress and large, round glasses stood at the top of the stairs and looked them over with a displeased scowl on her red lips. She tapped her foot against the hard wood floor and then pointed downstairs.

"If you can't be quiet you can't be here," she stated, staring directly at Nami.

Nami rolled her eyes. More of that Noxian hospitality she's been receiving ever since coming to the city. She could look elsewhere though, she supposed. She found it hard to believe that there would be no information in such a large city no matter how unpleasant everyone living in it was. She grabbed the pale man by the wrist and dragged him behind her as she left. She glanced back over her shoulder at the librarian as she floated down the stairs.

"So sorry to be a bother," she said though her voice lacked any amount of sincerity.

Shoving open the thick wooden door to the outside Nami was met with a pleasantly cold downpour. She'd been so distracted that she hadn't even noticed it'd started raining but now that she was standing in it she was glad she'd been kicked out. As she closed the door to the library she let go of the man's arm and turned to look at him as she ran a wet hand through her rain-slicked tresses of fins. She could feel her annoyance already simmering down as the dirt and dust was washed away and her scales took on a blue-green shimmer.

"You live here, right?" she asked as she put one hand on her hip, "You still owe me for saving your life, you know."

"I would have been fine," he stated. He hung back on the sheltered stairs, avoiding the cold downpour. He didn't seem to have much else to say to Nami but he also didn't make any move to go back inside or leave, he mostly just seemed to be waiting for her to say something else. Nami was, if nothing else, perplexed. Maybe a bit exasperated from the ten minutes she'd interacted with him. Still, he could be useful.

She sighed. He was going to be difficult, she could feel it. She didn't even have it in her to tell him about how easily humans drowned, assuming they didn't freeze to death or get eaten first. She hoped he understood what kind of danger he had been in but looking at the way he dressed and acted she had to figure he was some kind of noble and those sorts always thought everything revolved around them and they'd be fine no matter what.

"I'm looking for something," she began, speaking slowly as if she were explaining this to a child, "It's very important that I find it. The least you could do is tell me if you know anything about something called the moonstone."

He hummed for a moment and pressed his hand against his mouth, seeming to think it over before answering with a succinct, "Okay."

Nami blinked and then blinked again.

"But!" he said after a moment, "You're searching through libraries in vein. If you want my help there's something we have to do first."

The man in red led Nami to an out of the way restaurant, complaining most of the way about the awful weather and how it was just _ruining_ his hair and coat. How he worked so _hard_ to look nice and nature just thought it could go about doing whatever it wanted. Nami had stopped listening at some point, focussing on the sound of raindrops plinking against the cold black stone roads of the city. The sound of water washing down drains and into sewers. It was almost peaceful besides the man accompanying her. Once they reached the small building with tall glass windows and a sign with a picture of some sort of dragon above the door she tuned back in.

"And it's really entirely unacceptable that I'm expected to work on days like this. Whether it's indoors or not it's just so draining," ah, still complaining then, "Hm, but where are my manners? It looks like we're here."

He opened the door and bowed slightly for Nami to go in. She raised an eyebrow ridge and entered, glancing around. It didn't look like there were many people here and the lighting was pretty low. A long wooden bar was on one side of the room and the rest was filled with booths made of red tables and tall, cushioned benches. Nami didn't really go to places like this often, she had no need to. Not to mention she didn't exactly have the funds for it. A waiter immediately rushed over and paused briefly to look between the two customers. He pursed his lips and looked to the gaudily clothed man as he asked where they'd like to be seated. They ended up near the back in a corner, as far from the door as possible, and Nami crossed her arms as she rested her tail on most of the bench. She hoped no one would mind the cushions getting a little wet.

While the waiter was away the man in red rested his chin on his hand and grinned at the marai as he flipped a laminated menu open, "I suppose I forgot to introduce myself earlier but I'm Vladimir, pleasure to meet you."

His sudden change in attitude threw Nami off guard a bit. She looked away from him, examining the restaurant instead, "My name's Nami, the tidecaller."

"Ooh," he commented, laning in a bit closer, "That sounds important."

"Yes, well, as I said before I'm on an important mission to find-," Nami cut herself short as she eyed a waiter approaching and Vladimir followed her line of sight. She glanced away, arms crossed. The waiter asked if they were ready to order, mostly to the man in red, and he was quick enough to answer that Nami never managed to get a word in. Not that she'd so much as glanced at the menu and not that she knew what much of this surface food was anyway. Still, she couldn't stand that people here treated her as if she were barely a person and loudly thumped her tail against the cushioned seat until the waiter left again.

"Someone ought to work on their manners," Vladimir commented with a smirk. Rich, coming from him. Before she had a chance to protest, he spoke again, "You were talking about an important mission, yes? Do go on."

She frowned, but continued, "As I was trying to say, I need to find the moonstone or at the very least the one who was supposed to bring it to me. Without it the creatures from the abyss will attack my home. It's never been a problem before, the bearer of the stone's always shown up. But this time they just… didn't."

Vladimir nodded along as she spoke. When she finished, he immediately asked a follow-up question, "And you think it might be here, in Noxus?"

"I don't know, it seems possible," she didn't want to give away all her information just yet - after all, Vladimir didn't seem like the most trustworthy sort and she had no idea just who he might tell about this, "It could be anywhere, honestly. If it isn't here, I thought I could at least find some information," She glanced around the room for a moment before scowling, "Even though I could be anywhere else doing anything else more useful."

With any _one_ else she thought to herself almost bitterly.

"Very interesting indeed," he responded, trailing off. His words stopped coming for a moment, a fact Nami was grateful for. He was staring at her, however. An almost expectant look was on his face.

"What?" she asked as she tried to figure out exactly what he was looking at, or perhaps looking for.

"Well," he began, sitting up straight, "I asked you about what you do and you told me. Typically, the normal thing to do next would be for you to ask me about what I do."

"Oh," Nami replied flatly, looking away, "What you do isn't of importance to me."

It was blunt and harsh but she was in a bad mood and if she were being entirely honest didn't have the energy to care about his feelings even a little bit. This tiny show of decency wasn't enough to cancel out all the poor treatment he'd given her up to this point. She wanted his help, she knew being rude wasn't the way to go, but she just couldn't help herself. It just slipped out.

His expression changed. A moment of confusion, as if he hadn't quite heard her. Then - laughter. Unexpected and sudden. She recoiled slightly. Why was he laughing? He should be angry, or unguarded, or confused … or basically any emotion other than 'highly amused' or 'vaguely condescending'. The gears turned and whirled before she finally had an idea that made sense to her.

He was laughing at her.

"What? What's so funny, huh?" Her temper flared, and she raised her voice just a bit more than she should have in a small building. A few heads turned from nearby tables. No one approached, "You find something humorous about someone risking their life to save their people? Someone working hard every day, even if it means going to a _sludgepool_ like this and dealing with bottom feeders like you?" She knew she was saying too much, but she was just too annoyed to really control herself. Just being here, looking at him, was making her skin crawl. She just wanted to go home. But she couldn't.

A few moments passed, Vladimir's laughter slowly dying down. He wiped away a tear before looking at Nami with a large grin. "Oh no, certainly not. All of those things sound very important and worthy of time and dedication."

The way he said it made her think he didn't actually think that. It was hard to tell with him, though, "I was simply astounded by how utterly terrible you are at this. Getting help from someone else, I mean. I invited you here to talk about your plight and possibly give aid. But you spurn me immediately, even going out of your way to be rude. I find you quite entertaining. That's all."

"Am I some kind of joke to you, then?" she raised her voice again. Her teeth were bared, pearly white and only a bit sharper than most people were comfortable with. She stood, glaring down at him. It was quite obvious that everyone in the restaurant was staring at the duo now but Nami didn't care, these people weren't her problem and never would be.

"Mmm … I'd use the word 'diversion', but it's a similar concept I suppose," he almost hummed, resting his chin on one hand.

That was the breaking point. "Forget it! I don't need your help! I can finish my mission by myself. Thanks for nothing,"

She turned and left as swiftly as she could, tail sending a nearby unoccupied chair clattering to the ground. She was so caught up in her own outrage that she didn't even notice a figure clad in black stand from their barstool and follow her out the door. Once she was outside in the rain again she inhaled deeply and tightly gripped at her staff, a frustrated groan leaving her throat a few moments later. The nerve of that man! If she ran into him one more time and he wasn't bleeding out on the ground she was going to… She didn't even know. Maybe show him the dangers of having his head submerged in cold water a bit more.

She flinched away and swung around, staff raised with a scowl across her face, when she heard a woman's voice speak up, "Quite a fight and quite a shame you'd choose to court someone like him. I have a proposition if you'd listen."

The woman in question wore a thick black cloak though Nami could easily spy at least one weapon on a heavy belt beneath it where it parted. Her dark hair was swept up in a long ponytail and red cateye glasses stood out against her pale skin. She stood with her arms crossed as she leaned against a rain slicked wall leading into a dim alleyway. She didn't seem to mean any harm from the slight smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Go on," Nami replied after a moment of looking the human over. The woman motioned to follow her into an alleyway and while the thought that she might make some kind of attempt to do something less than savory crossed Nami's mind, people made that mistake from time to time, she hoped she was smarter than that.

Once they were a sufficient distance from the already mostly empty street the woman turned and held out a gloved hand in greeting and introduction, "Vayne, pleasure to meet you. If I had to guess I'd say Noxus hasn't been kind to you, marai."


End file.
